Vishwa Hindu Parishad Decides To Set Up Temple For Lord Ram In Every Village

11/01/2016 12:55 PM IST
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Updated
15/07/2016 8:25 AM IST

PTI

anand purohit via Getty Images

As we all know, Deepavali meaning -row of lamps (Deepon ki avali), is celebrated to mark the victory of good over evil. The people of Ayodhya had welcomed the return of Lord Ram, his consort Sita and brother Lakshman, who were in exile for 14 long years.However, theres something more symbolic about the diyas or jyot. Most Hindu households often light a diya once every morning and in the evening. Its not just a customary practice but signifies the submission of ones soul to the supreme power.The oil in the diya represents the dirt (greed, jealousy, hatred, lust etc) that humans tend to nurture while the cotton wick is symbolic of the aatman (self). So in order to attain enlightenment and unite with the Brahman (the supreme power), one must get rid of materialism. A diya emits light when the wick fuelled by oil burns.Moreover, a Diya also symbolises knowledge. An ignorant person would often remain in dark and wouldnt be able to keep a check on the events happening around him. It is only when he feels the need to gain some knowledge that he will realise the purpose of his existence. And hence in this case, a diya/jyot signifies the removal of ignorance through knowledge.The following mantra in Sanskrit throws light on the path one must adopt to attain peace and it highlights the importance of jyoti (light):Asato maa sad-gamaya (Lead us from Untruth to Truth)Tamaso maa jyotir-gamaya (From Darkness to Light)Mrityor-maa-mritan gamaya (From Death to Immortality)OM shaanti shaanti shaanti (OM peace, peace peace)So, a Diya doesnt merely represent a decorative item but reminds one and all to give up their materialistic desires, defeat their ignorance by gaining knowledge if they wish to merge with God.

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LUCKNOW -- With Ayodhya Ram Temple issue bouncing back to the centre stage of Uttar Pradesh politics ahead of the 2017 Assembly polls, VHP has decided to construct temples in every village across the country.

"The organisation has decided to set up a temple of Lord Ram in every village," spokesman of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) Sharad Sharma said today.

He said from April 15 -- Ram Navami -- the organiation would start a seven-day-long Ram Mahotsava.

"During this period Lord Ram will be worshipped in every village," he told .

Sharma said the target is to reach 1.25 lakh villages.

"We had been observing Ram Mahotsava in the past and the organisation has already reached 70,000-75,000 villages pan India," he said.

Sharma said that during Ram Mahotsava, statues of Lord Ram would be worshipped.

"Whether it is a statue or picture it will be installed at a place after worship," he said.

The Ayodhya Ram temple issue is pending before the Supreme Court but it is again in focus in UP politics ahead of Assembly elections next year.

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BJP leader Subramanian Swamy recently exuded confidence that work on the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya would start before the year-end. He, however, made it clear that the temple would not come up through a movement but only after the court verdict, which he hoped would come by August-September, and with the mutual consent of Muslim and Hindu communities.

Asked if raising the Ram temple issue was linked to Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in early 2017, he said, "Ram should not be linked with elections. Ram is a matter of faith for Hindus and construction of the temple at Ayodhya is a commitment of every Hindu."

"It's a matter of faith for crores of Hindus in the country and we want to realise the dream of our patron late Ashok Singhal," Sharma said when asked about Swamy's comment.

Singhal had died on November 17 at the age of 89.

Ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh has said that no temple would be allowed to be built at the disputed site in Ayodhya without the court's permission.

Senior SP leader and minister Shivpal Singh Yadav said not a single brick would be allowed to move without the court's nod. In December last year two trucks of stones arrived in the temple city almost six months after VHP announced its nationwide drive to collect stones for construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya.

"Two trucks of stones have been unloaded at Ram Sewak Puram, a VHP property in Ayodhya, and Shila Pujan (praying of the stones) has been performed by Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, the president of Ram Janam Bhumi Nyas," Sharma said. "Now, the time has come for the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Lot of stones have arrived in Ayodhya. And now the arrival of stones will continue. We have signals from Modi government that Mandir construction would be done now," Das had claimed.

Asserting its resolve to build the Ram temple, the VHP had in June last year announced a nationwide drive to collect stones for construction of the temple and had also asked the Muslim community not to pose any hindrance.